One of the last and best of the iconic futuristic coffee shops designed by the prolific firm of Armet & Davis, its traffic island is an oasis of subtropical planting beneath an immense, hovering "tortoise shell" roof.

A master plan calling for over 4,000 houses with thoughtful, modern, mostly Ranch and Minimal Traditional designs featuring technological innovations perfected during World War II—all for under $10,000.

Representing a significant stage in the evolution of the high-rise office buildings of Los Angeles, the 1949 Mobil Oil/General Petroleum Building was one of Wurdeman and Becket's first major office commissions.